When Leeds United fans consider who was the biggest surprise within Daniel Farke’s squad last season, it seems likely that plenty will opt for Junior Firpo, particularly as few would have anticipated that he would remain at Elland Road in the wake of relegation.
It has been a turbulent time at Leeds for Junior Firpo. For a while it appeared that Victor Orta had, once again, got carried away by the idea of signing a player from one of the world’s biggest clubs and not considered how suitable he was for the way Leeds played.
And for some time, it appeared that Firpo was destined to help extend the left-back curse which had seemingly plagued Elland Road in the years after Charlie Taylor’s exit.
But Firpo did stick around as Leeds looked to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, and ultimately, he proved to be a key part of the side which came agonisingly close to securing promotion, providing eight assists in just 29 games.
Junior Firpo’s resurgence should inspire Leeds teammate
Of course, Firpo is always going to have his limitations, particularly defensively – as shown by a mistake he made on the final day of the regular season. It appears that Leeds are not planning to look at extending Firpo’s contract, which expires next summer.
But while Leeds are in the second tier, Firpo has the quality to make a massive difference – and that should perhaps inspire another player who has been largely written off by the Elland Road faithful.
As things stand, it is hard to see Rasmus Kristensen playing for Leeds again. His year in the Whites’ squad was extremely poor, with the Dane initially portrayed as a warrior who would also make an impact in the final third after his £10 million move. Unfortunately, Kristensen was outmuscled by Pedro Neto for an early Wolves goal on his debut, and things hardly picked up from there.
Doubts over whether Rasmus Kristensen will be playing next season
He had a couple of bright moments, including a goal in the reverse fixture at Molineux. But few tears were shed when Kristensen was one of the players to seal a loan move away from the club 12 months ago. Many would have hoped that he would do well enough to earn a permanent move to Roma.
However, Kristensen remains a Leeds player, so there is a chance that Daniel Farke will decide to have a look at him in pre-season, particularly with the Whites not exactly blessed with depth at right-back right now.
Ideally, Leeds would sign another right-back before the season starts in a move which would potentially see Kristensen edge closer to the exit, but if the 26-year-old does stay, he could potentially make a positive impact in the second tier.
Leeds would be taking a huge gamble if they get promoted and stick with Firpo at left-back, but he clearly has an important role to play against weaker opposition. Perhaps that should give fans some hope should Kristensen remain at the club for the coming season.
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